Castilleja nelsonii
Castilleja linariifolia
Arizona or southern mountains paintbrush, Rincon Mountain Indian paintbrush
desert paintbrush, desert paintbursh, linaria-leaf Indian paintbrush, narrow leaf paintbrush, narrow-leaf Indian paintbrush, Wyoming Indian paintbrush, Wyoming or narrow-leaf or long-leaf paintbrush, Wyoming paintbrush
few to many, ascending to erect, unbranched or often strongly and diffusely branched distally, hairs sparse to dense, spreading to matted, long proximally on stem, becoming puberulent distally, ± stiff, eglandular, often mixed with retrorse shorter ones.
few to many, ascending to erect, much-branched, glabrous proximally, hairy distally, sometimes glabrous or hairy throughout, hairs sparse, sometimes dense, spreading to slightly retrorse, short to long, ± stiff, eglandular.
green, linear-lanceolate or narrowly to broadly lanceolate, 2–6.5(–8) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat to involute, 0(–3)-lobed, apex acute;
lobes ascending, lanceolate, apex acute to obtuse.
± yellow to gray-green, sometimes becoming ± purple, linear to narrowly lanceolate, (1–)2–10 cm, not fleshy, rarely ± thickened and fleshy, margins plane, involute, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acute or acuminate;
lobes spreading, linear, apex acute to acuminate.
(2.5–)5–15 × 2–4.5 cm;
bracts proximally greenish, distally scarlet to red or orange-red, rarely yellow or crimson, veins usually yellow or yellow-green, contrasting conspicuously with base color, lanceolate or elliptic to oblanceolate or obovate, 0–3(–5)-lobed;
lobes ascending, lanceolate to triangular, medium length, arising above mid length, apex rounded to obtuse.
4–20 × 2–7.5 cm;
bracts red to red-orange throughout, sometimes pale green, yellow, magenta, pink-purple, or white throughout, or proximally pale greenish to straw colored, distally colored as above, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate or narrowly oblong, 3(–5)-lobed;
lobes spreading to ascending, narrowly lanceolate to linear, shorter than central lobe, arising in proximal 1/3, apex obtuse to acuminate.
slightly curved, 15–35 mm, subequal to calyx or beak partially to strongly exserted;
tube 15–17 mm;
beak adaxially yellowish green, 10–16 mm;
abaxial lip green, reduced, ± pouched, 0.5–1.5 mm, 4–10% as long as beak;
teeth incurved, deep green, 0.7–1 mm.
often slightly curved, 25–45 mm;
tube 11–22(–25) mm;
beak exserted, longer than calyx lobes, usually projecting through abaxial cleft;
beak adaxially yellow-green or green, 9–21(–24) mm;
abaxial lip deep green, reduced, often visible in exserted sideways through abaxial calyx cleft, 0.5–3 mm, 10–15% as long as beak;
teeth incurved, green or whitish, 5–2(–3) mm.
mostly yellowish throughout, with a thin reddish apex, 15–27 mm;
abaxial clefts (5–)9–11 mm, adaxial 4.5–9.5 mm, clefts 25–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2–4 mm, 10–20% of calyx length;
lobes linear-lanceolate to triangular, apex acute to acuminate, rarely ± obtuse.
proximally greenish, whitish, or yellowish, distally colored as bracts, 18–30(–35) mm;
abaxial clefts 10–20(–22) mm, adaxial 2–6(–12) mm, abaxial ca. 70% of calyx length, adaxial ca. 20–25% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1.5–5(–6) mm, 12–17% of calyx length;
lobes curved slightly toward adaxial side, narrowly oblong to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute.
= 24.
= 24, 48.
Castilleja nelsonii
Castilleja linariifolia
Castilleja nelsonii is fairly common in the upper elevations of the so-called sky island ranges from central and eastern Arizona to adjacent New Mexico, southward into the Sierra Madre Occidental, at least as far south as southern Chihuahua, where the type collection was obtained on Cerro Mohinora. Although it was long known in the United States as C. austromontana, the name C. nelsonii has priority. Some specimens from southern Coconino County, Arizona, approach C. miniata, but most material is easily separable. Castilleja nelsonii occasionally hybridizes with C. mogollonica in Apache County, Arizona, near the border of the range of the former.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Castilleja linariifolia is widespread in the western United States and is important to Native Americans as a source of dyes and for medicinal and ceremonial purposes (D. E. Moerman 1998). It is the state flower of Wyoming. Castilleja linariifolia is closely associated with, and undoubtedly parasitic on, the roots of sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata. The bracts are usually red to red-orange, with uncommon yellow-bracted variants. On the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada in California, most populations have pink-purple to magenta bracts, and at least one population has almost pure white bracts. Plants associated with hot springs in the Ash Meadows area of Nye County, Nevada, are unusually tall and have somewhat fleshy leaves. Castilleja linariifolia stems are usually glabrous, but pubescent stems are sporadic across its range. However, in the Mt. Charleston area of the Spring Mountains, in southern Nevada, most plants are pubescent, ranging from an inconspicuous layer to a fairly dense and obvious indument. These plants have been called forma omnipubescens Pennell. Elsewhere, especially in central and northern Arizona, individuals with short-pubescent stems are intermingled with more typical plants. In addition, late-blooming forms associated with hot spring sites in the eastern Mojave Desert are particularly thick-stemmed and vigorous. Hybrids between C. linariifolia and C. scabrida are known from Garfield County, Utah. Castilleja linariifolia is parapatric with the similar C. wootonii in central New Mexico. Castilleja linariifolia is reported to hybridize with C. chromosa, C. flava, and C. miniata. A possible hybrid with C. septentrionalis was named C. ×cognata Greene.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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